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Even with the heat, there are still some nights that I crave a good, warm bowl. And with cauliflower in season, coconut curry just seemed appropriate. And after a long day at work, this actually comes together pretty quickly.

Heat a large wok on the stove on medium heat. Add a bit of sesame oil and sautée the ginger and garlic for a minute. Then add the carrots and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the cauliflower and green beans and and sautée another 1-2 minutes. Finally add the pepper and bok choy with the sauce ingredients (coconut milk through onion powder) and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Top with cilantro and avocado. We enjoyed this over rice. This dish actually tastes better the next day, so if you are so inclined, make it ahead and enjoy the next day.

Today is a day for celebrating life and being fiercely badass. Today is a day to appreciate health and wellbeing. Today is a day to enjoy being CANCER FREE for 12 years! So why not kick back with a fun treat?! Heck yea!

There is was this super cool Health Food store in Waterloo, Ontario Canada that I used to like going to. They made these incredibly delicious bars that had a puffed rice bottom and chocolate middle with coconut on top. I loved those freakin’ bars. I had been meaning to recreate them for quite some time. I just recently learned the store closed. Nooooooooo!! So I made my own. They aren’t quite the same, but they are really good and a fun snack. Totally helps that mid-afternoon slump at work 😉

I bet the kiddos would love ’em too.

Chocolate Coconut Bars (makes 16 squares)

Bottom Layer
1. 5 cups of puffed rice (I used plain, sometimes it’s hard to track down)
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp of brown rice syrup
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp of almond butter
Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper. Melt the almond butter and brown rice syrup on low heat in a pan on the stove. Once it has melted and has a very smooth texture, remove from heat, add the puffed rice and quickly stir it all together. Use those muscles, it starts to set fast! Once it is well combined, pour it into the prepared baking dish and firmly press it down so it is even. Allow to cool while you make the chocolate layer.

Chocolate Layer
1 cup + 2 tbsp of chocolate chips
2 heaping tbsp of coconut butter
1/4 cup of large flake, plain unsweetened coconut
Melt the chocolate chips and coconut butter in a small pan on low heat on your stove. Stir until melted and the texture becomes very smooth. Pour this mixture on top of the puffed rice layer. Sprinkle the coconut flakes on top and gently press in. Freeze the baking dish for 20 minutes, then remove from the freezer and cut into bars or squares. Store in the fridge in an airtight container.

These luscious mini cakes are quickly & easily prepared the day before enjoying. They are a light, relatively guilt free treat and make an excellent no-bake project to have your kiddos help with.

Happy Pi Day!

The moment you realize Pi day is tomorrow and St. Patrick’s Day is a mere few days away and you have no recipes ready! Argh! Especially when your hubby is a math geek and you enjoy making him cute treats on fun days.

And then a pretty fab idea strikes you at the worst possible time – while you’re frantically tidying and preparing lunch no less than 30 minutes before a friend is coming over to eat said lunch. So yes, I rushed through these bad boys. Do I regret it? No, they came together in 15 minutes and taste creamy, dreamy and delicious. Am I bummed the pictures didn’t turn out. Yes, but not enough to retake them 😉

The green didn’t turn out as vibrant I had imagined, and shows up even less in the photographs. However, they look as green as they taste – light and sweet.

Mini Mint Coconut Cream Pies (makes 6 mini pies)

Crust
1/4 cup of pecans
1/4 cup of walnuts
1/2 cup of dates, pitted

Place the nuts in a food processor and process until they are broken down into tiny crumbs. Then add the dates and pulse until a mixture forms and sticks together. Divide evenly between 6 cupcake molds and place in the freezer while you make the filling.

Filling
1 can of full fat coconut milk, stashed in the fridge overnight
1 tbsp of agave
1/4 tsp of spirulina powder
a few drops of peppermint extract

Open the can of coconut milk and carefully scoop out the creamy top part (reserving the liquid) into a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until it turns into fluffy peaks, a frosting like texture. You may want to gradually add a bit of the reserved coconut water. Remove the cupcake molds from the freezer and evenly divide the filling between the 6 prepared molds. You won’t need the remaining coconut water – you can keep it in the fridge and add it to smoothies. Put the prepared pies in the freezer overnight

These cute little gems are perfect for Pi Day or St. Patrick’s Day… or anytime!

“Chocolate & vanilla swiiiiiirrrrrllll” Anyone else an Orange is the New Black fan? I’m a bit of an addict. I know that the swirl song doesn’t have anything to do with food, but hey – it inspired me to make these awesome sauce swirl cups.

With the holiday craziness having died down, I’m finding myself wanting to be more creative with food, especially desserts. I can’t bake to save my life, but no-bake treats are a specialty of mine. I think I brought my game to the next level with these sweet treats.

Place the pecans in the food processor and pulse the nuts until they break down finely. Add the remaining ingredients, without the water, and process until the mixture sticks together in a big ball. If it’s too dry, add a bit of water.

Mould the mixture into 6 cupcake liners. If using silicone ones, grease them a bit with coconut oil to make sure they pop out without sticking. Place the prepared cups in the freezer.

Melt the chocolate on low-medium heat until almost completely melted and then remove from heat. Stir the mixture until it is perfectly smooth, then add the coconut milk and stir until well combined.

Topping
1 can of full fat coconut milk, chilled overnight in the fridge

Remove the coconut milk from the fridge, open the lid and scoop out the solidified top into a bowl. Add a couple of tbsp of the liquid (reserving the rest for smoothies, etc) and beat with an electric mixer on low heat to begin, gradually working up to medium and beat for 4 minutes when the mixture looks like whipped cream.

Take your prepared cupcake liners from the freezer, portion out the chocolate filling mixture between the 6 cups. Now using a small spoon, scoop out a little bit of the coconut cream and dot the chocolate mixture in a few places (small pinky-finger sized dots). Then take a toothpick and swirl it around for a marble effect. Freeze for 4 hours and keep frozen until ready to serve. Take them out about 5 minutes before you would like to enjoy them. I garnished them with cacao nibs & toasted coconut flakes.

They are slightly labour intensive, but definitely worth making when you want to bring that “wow” factory for someone.

Last day of MoFo! We made it!!! I totally lost my steam for a bit there and I totally expected not having much of a post today. But I found out I had yesterday off from volunteer work and had a renewed sense of energy! It may also be a health related issue. Would you believe that although typically with no thyroid whatsoever suffer from hypothyroidism (sluggish thyroid), sometimes we can suffer from hyperthyroidism (excess energy!). I thought it was pretty cool the first time it happened as I can get a TON of stuff done in a day and sleep less and what bad side effects could there be from this awesomeness?? Turns out heart palpitations, insomnia and nervousness are some of the peskier side effects. Our bodies are silly sometimes. Anyhoo! On to the last day of Mofo. I think this may be one of my favourite prompts.

30th: Food Gifts – Do you like to give food as a gift? Or receive? Show/tell us!

I love the holidays! The hot chocolate, cozy clothes, silly movies (Elf!), decorating, warm fuzzies and making gifts for loved ones. I started young – I used to make my parents gifts and they seemed to enjoy them. And I have fond memories of helping my dad in the kitchen making rice crispy squares, fudge and cookies to plate up and give to people. I carried this tradition on when he passed. I try and think of something different each year, this year is granola.

Preheat your oven to 325. Combine all of the dry ingredients (oats through salt) and mix. Then add your maple syrup and stir to combine. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, spread the granola on the sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Allow it to cool before snacking on 😉 Fill jars or small boxes to give to friends.

This is totally customizable. Use whatever nuts you want and dried fruit. The granulated sugar can be omitted, it’s not something I typically use, but wanted to be sweeter than normal as it’s a holiday gift. I may even try adding cacao nibs next time.

28th: Holiday Bake Day! – What are you planning on baking over the winter holidays? Do you make cake, or cookies? Or something savoury?

Alright, I’ll be honest. Just the last few days of MoFo and I am running out of steam. I almost skipped today’s post, but I’m SO CLOSE to the end =D

So today’s post is brought to you by a sleepless night after a ridiculously hectic weekend (including 4 volunteer shifts, runs, bootcamp, 3 dinner parties and a partridge in a pear tree!). I overbooked myself solid – does anyone else have this problem?

Thursday started with running the annual San Jose 5km Turkey Trot. It was cold and I felt rushed with my schedule, so I managed to run it in 26 min, 29 sec. I think that may be a PR for me! I then headed to my friend Roger’s place. Sunny and I started visiting his wife while she was in hospice care in the summer of 2015 – she passed away a few months after and we had become friends with him, so we still go visit him weekly. He wasn’t celebrating the holiday with anyone, so I told him we would have Thanksgiving lunch together. I made cranberries and roasted squash and brought us a slice of carrot cake for us to split. When I got there, he had set the table and had apple cider for us.

Sunny and I headed out to visit another hospice patient and came home in time to make my Stuffed Peppers, cranberries & brownies to bring to our good friend Brie’s house to celebrate Thanksgiving with her. We ate too much food, played board games together and played with our puppies!

Friday started with a run, guiding my visually impaired running friend as we prepare to run a relay leg of the California International Marathon next weekend. Then we actually treated ourselves to a nice lunch at the Butcher’s Son (vegan butcher!!) in Berkeley. Then back home to make food for dinner party number 2! Check out what our friends Isabelle & Peter made for us!!!

She made roasted veggies, maple glazed brussels sprouts and shepherd’s pie with home made gravy. Everything was phenomenal, but the star of the show was the shepherd’s pie. The bubbling browned mashed potatoes on top of several different kinds of sautéed mushrooms & onions. Heaven in my mouth.

Saturday I helped out with a toy drive – no pictures as it was kind of wet and miserable. And then home to clean and make dinner for some friends.

After the hectic three days, I was beyond glad to have absolutely nothing going on Sunday. Despite being super behind on blogging, I decided to take the day off. We took Sunny for a nice long walk, stopping at Peet’s along the way for some vegan hot chocolate with vegan whipped cream!

A nap may have been involved. And we binged watched the entire Gilmore Girls reboot. Glorious way to spend the day. Now I’m frantically trying to catch up on blogging while I still try to juggle all of my volunteer work (which gets busier this time of year)… but blogging is just supposed to be for fun, so I’ll try keep it that way.

I will leave you with these 2 dessert recipes I have come up with over the years though!

If you’re looking for something a little lighter this holiday season, check out this healthier Key Lime Pie:

So… I’m taking a little creative direction with this post. This is not what I snack on late at night. First of all, I generally don’t make it past 9:30pm, so late night snacking isn’t really my thing. When I do get the late night munchies, I can sometimes fall prey to “bad” foods like entire bags of potato chips. Although I don’t want to deprive myself of said things, I definitely don’t want to be eating that every night.

This is what I *want* to be late night snacking on. Something light, but still filling and that I won’t feel guilt-ridden after eating. Also, chowing down on a bunch of chips won’t really help with sleep. Eating within 2 hours of eating tends to interfere with your sleep schedule, but if you do get hungry a smoothie bowl might be a good way about it, especially if you combine it with a bit of protein.

A Vacation-Inspired Recipe –Start unpacking your favorite vacation memories. Think about a trip you took state-side or internationally and create a healthy recipe from an unforgettable meal you enjoyed. Or, create a recipe from a native ingredient you saw or tasted on your travels.

I was pleasantly surprised that the restaurant was able to accommodate my vegan diet on short notice and it was easily the best meal I had on the entire vacation (including the 2 days in Seattle!). I of course had to put my own spin on it. Terry can’t tolerate green onion well and I’m not normally a purple cabbage lover so I opted to vary the veggies. The instructions seem long and daunting, but I promise it’s not so bad. And you can easily lower the marinade time, choose your own veggies and serve with or without a grain. Make it your own, like I did =)

Start by marinating your tofu. Rinse the tofu and pat with a paper towel to get any excess water out. Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl except the brown rice flour, and stir to combine. Slowly sprinkle in the flour and whisk as you sprinkle it in. Cut the tofu into cubes and place in a large, glass dish and pour the marinade over it ensuring you evenly coat it. Cover the dish and throw it in the fridge for 4 hours. If you’re short on time, 10-15 minutes will work fine.

When you’re ready to start making supper, start cooking the rice. Rinse the jasmine rice and add it to a medium pot with the water and coconut milk. Bring it to a boil and then simmer it until the liquid has absorbed (30 minutes or so). While the rice cooks, take the tofu out of the fridge and prep your veggies. Heat a wok and a pan on the stove at medium heat. Take the tofu out of the marinade (but keep the marinade!), add a touch of sesame oil to the pan and cook the tofu in it for 5-10 minutes until cooked through. In the wok, add a touch of sesame oil and add the carrots and sautée for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook for a couple of minutes, then the mushrooms cooking for a couple more and finally the peppers and bok choy. Add the reserved marinade to the veggies and toss to coat and allow it to heat through.

Layer the rice in a bowl, followed by the veggies and tofu. Sprinkle with cilantro sesame seeds and enjoy.

I’ve been craving green things since returning from last week’s vacation. And I found my mind wandering to the Green Bowl I had at Be Love in Victoria. Fresh, clean & vibrant. A perfect bowl to reset feeling moody and sluggish after over indulging while away.

And I was able to use some fresh basil I found at the market this past weekend in the Green Curry Sauce.

I think thai basil would have been better, but sometimes ‘ya gotta work with what you have 😉

Heat a wok on medium heat on the stove. Add the coconut oil and sautée the mushrooms until they soften. Add the broccoli and sautée for 3-4 minutes (I added a bit of water to help it cook). Add your bok coy and cook for another 3-4 minutes. While your veggies are cooking, prepare your green curry sauce by whisking all of the ingredients in a bowl. Add the sauce to your cooked veggies and voilà!

I served it over rice and garnished it with cilantro, avocado & cashews.

I originally made this for lunch, but it would make a great supper too. If you have a good tolerance for spice (unlike me!), I would suggest adding more curry paste.

My husband, Terry, recently celebrated a big birthday. I know what he really wanted. To go to Japan. Since we had already committed to some travel plans this year and trips to Japan ain’t cheap! We are putting it off for now. So for his birthday, I threw him a surprise party and tried to bring Japan to him.

I spent the day decorating (forgot to take pictures), and making sushi seaweed salad, miso soup and a ton of sushi filling while my friend Di made cupcakes and rolled the sushi. I did all of this after breaking my toe…

Thank goodness for Di. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to do everything without her. As a solid foodie, I completely forgot to take pictures of people. Argh! I blame it on the broken toe 😉

Because I threw this party well over a week before his actual birthday, I felt the need to make him a special meal on his actual birthday. His favourite thing I make is Pineapple Boat Stirfry. I only make it once a year as it’s a little labour intensive.

And I made him pineapple pudding for dessert. Can you tell he loved pineapple? Who doesn’t?

You can have this as a standalone, or add some homemade coconut bacon. Mmmm.

Pineapple Pudding

1 cup of full fat coconut milk, stashed in the fridge overnight to harden

1 banana

1/4 cup of pineapple juice (I just used the juice from fresh cut pineapple I bought at the store)

1/4 cup of shredded coconut

Blend everything until thick & creamy. I took two wine glasses, layered in some thinly sliced pineapple, then the pudding, more sliced pineapple, more pudding and finished it off with diced pineapple. Then I topped it with some homemade coconut bacon.

Coconut Bacon

1/2 cup of thick shredded, unsweetened coconut

1 tbsp of oil

1 tbsp of soy sauce or coconut aminos

1 tsp of maple syrup

1 tsp of rice vinegar

a dash of liquid smoke

Combine all of the ingredients and allow the shredded coconut to marinade for several minutes. Bake it for 5-7 minutes at 300. Be careful to watch it carefully, it can quickly & easily burned. Especially if your toaster oven is on the fritz…

Well, at least some of it was salvageable.

Happy Birthday to an amazing person. My husband, my best friend and partner in crime. I celebrate the love of my life. The smartest & funniest person I know. Someone I want to wake up with each and every morning. Someone who helps me with the small things and the big things. Someone who makes me laugh, someone who is there when I cry. Someone who makes me want to be a better person.

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I'm Kimmy, a holistic nutritionist on the path to healthy living and loving myself. I want to share my passion for kale and chocolate with you. I focus on allergy-friendly recipes and you will find some appetizing healthy eats as well as some delicious indulgences here. ♥